Walt Disney World Resort

At last, the perfect way to figure out if you want to spend the time and money to go on a serious hot air balloon ride. This tethered balloon adventure gently takes you up over the park, let’s you enjoy the views and balloon-ness of it all for 6 minutes, and then brings you slowly back to earth.

No need to bring a swimsuit—this para-sailing adventure starts and ends in the boat. Even cooler is the ability to go up and take in the view with a friend with a tandem sail. Up to six people can go in the boat—if you’re lucky, there’s room for non-sailers to go along on the 20- to 30-minute ride for free.

Head to Aloha Isle for the iconic soft-serve magic that is a Dole Whip. This soft-serve frozen dessert comes in classic pineapple, as well as orange, and vanilla. It was first made famous at Disneyland in the 1950s. We're also fans of its equally cooling cousin, the Dole Float, made with pineapple juice.

Stunning lighting sets a dramatic backdrop for the ultra-fresh seafood from East and West Coast. A taste of old Florida and Southern approaches to seafood are scattering throughout the menu along with New England favorites, Asian twists, and Italian classics. It’s where tempura haricots verts sit happily alongside white cheddar grits.

“Jiko” means “the cooking place” in Swahili. In this case that cooking place serves up a lively mix of African, Indian, and Mediterranean fare in the Animal Kingdom. Chermoula-roasted prawns, wild boar, and “bunny chow,” a South African favorite of curry in a bread bowl, are just a few possibilities that come out of the open kitchen for adventurous diners.

There’s a lot of local at this Downtown Walt Disney® eatery. The black linguini (stained with squid ink) comes with Florida rock shrimp. Grilled pork chops are brightened up with Florida sweet peppers. Even the tiramisu gets a local twist: it’s made with Orlando Brewing’s porter instead of the traditional espresso.